The 2025 NBA Draft Lottery is scheduled for Monday, May 12, 2025, in Chicago, with TV coverage beginning at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Quick Scoop: When is the NBA Draft Lottery 2025?

  • Date: Monday, May 12, 2025
  • Location: Chicago (McCormick Place Convention Center)
  • Start time (TV): Coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN
  • What it does: Sets the draft order for the 2025 NBA Draft, including who gets the No. 1 pick (likely the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes).

Why this date matters

  • The lottery decides which team lands the top four picks, using a ping-pong ball drawing with 14 balls and 1,001 possible combinations.
  • The team with the worst record can’t fall lower than the fifth pick under the current rules, and the three worst teams share the best odds (14%) for the No. 1 pick.
  • In 2025, the buzz is all around projected No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, making this lottery one of the more hyped in recent years.

Key 2025 draft timeline

  • May 12, 2025: NBA Draft Lottery, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN, Chicago.
  • June 25, 2025: First round of the NBA Draft 2025 at Barclays Center, Brooklyn.
  • June 26, 2025: Second round of the NBA Draft 2025.

Mini FAQ and fan chatter angle

  • “Is it a full show or just a segment?”
    It’s a short made-for-TV event: the actual drawing happens in a private room, and the televised reveal on ESPN runs as a studio show around 7 p.m. ET.
  • “Why is everyone calling it the Cooper Flagg lottery?”
    Because the winner gets first crack at Cooper Flagg, widely viewed as a generational prospect and the most hyped talent since Victor Wembanyama.
  • “Where does this sit in the offseason calendar?”
    It bridges the gap between the end of the regular season/playoffs for lottery teams and the late-June draft at Barclays Center.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.